Safety hook



Patented Mar. 9, 1926.

UNITED -srArss lPiiTllNT OFFICE.

DAVID C, KUFFEL AND WADE WILLIAMS, OF LOS ANGELES, CUALIFORJI'IA.`

SAFETY HOOK.

Application filed February 6, 1925. Serial No.`7r,268.

To all whom t may commet.'

Be it known that we, DAVID C. KUFFEL and W'Aon H. WILLIAMS, citizens of the United States, residing at Los Angeles,` in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Hooks, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to improvements in safety hooks.

It is an object of this invention to provide Y an improved safety hook, which consists essentially of a hoolcshaped body and an improved guard means for` locking a bail or other device which is placed in the hook therein, so that the bail cannot slip out of the hook or be removed without intentionally removing the guard device.

Vith the foregoing and other objects in view which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and pointed out in the appended claims, referencev is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention,"where Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvedsafety hook; y

Fig 2 is a front elevation of the safety hook, and may be considered as taken `in thel direction of the varrow 2 upon Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 .is a vertical 'sectiontaken on'the line 3-3 ofy Fig. 1; Y A f Fig. 4; is a vertical section tlirough` the safety hook taken on the line ll-f'of Fig. 2,

wherein similar reference characters desig-V nate similar parts throughout, the hook of the improved .construction consists of ,a

hook-shaped body 10. A recess 11 `is provided in the center of the hook-shaped body and may be formed by coring out, milling out, or otherwise removing. the material in the center of the hook. The recessf11 is so formed as to providea shoulder 12 adjacent the point 13 of .the hook-shaped body 10. Adjacent the top of the body 10 there are formed apertures 14 which communicate with the recess 1l at its top. The apertures let ldefine. a vbail portion V15 upon the body of the hook, and an eye 16. is provided withV a shank 17 which extends into the baill portion 15 ofthe body 10. `The shank 17 `has an enlarged portion 18A disposed within Athe bail portion 15 so that the eye 16 has a swivel connection with the body 10. The lower end of the shank 17 is provided with a Vpinportion 19, constituting a locking pin, which extends downwardly through the top of the recess 11. A pin 20 extends transversely across the recess 11 and may be in the form of a rivet which has its heads 21 'formed upon the outer sidesy of the 'hook body 10;A

Within the recess 11 there is disposed a guard member 22 which has a slot 23formed therein, through which slot extends the pin?` 20. The slot 23 is preferably slightly curved or slightly angular, as clearly shown in Figs. 4i and 5, and is of such length asto permit the guard member 22 to slide upon the pin 2O as well as rotate thereon. A coilspring 2A is disposed within the slot 23and is compressed between `one end of the slot and the pin 20,"y so as to urge'the guardpmember 22 into la` predetermined position with respect` to the pin 20; A recess 25 is formed inf-the" guardmember4 22 and serves to definean- `ger portion. 26 and a thumb portion `27 therein.. Wheny the guard member 22 is in `its'locking position, the finger 26 is adapted to be disposed `across the entrance to thef hook andv is limited in its rearward move ment by engagement with the shoulder- 12. When the finger 26 1s swung away from the entrance to the hook, the thumb portion 27 tranceto the hook, and as thel thumb portion'is. of less length than the finger portion 26, it clears the top of the shoulder 12.l A shoulder 28-is formed upon the member 22,

` is adapted to occupy a position across the enandwhen the guard member is swung intolocking position, the shoulder l28 isadapted to be engaged by the locking pin 19. formed upon the shank 17. Extending forwardly from the shoulder 28 upon the member 22 there is formed a curved surface 29. Anf

wardly. The guard member 422 cannot ro--a" tate upon the pin 20 because of engagement between the shoulder 28 and the pin 19. The guard member can slide relatively to the pin 20 in kthis position, .and as the cable 3l.' is pulled downwardly, the coil spring 24 is compressed and the guard member is vcausedto slide downwardlyrelatively Vto the pin f 20. This downward'sliding movement of the member 22 causes the shoulder 2S to dis-l fengage :trom the pin 19,* When .the pin 19 f It engages the thumb portion and forces thev thumb 27 backward'ly within the recess 11, thus rotating the member ,22 in the opposite direction from that direction -inwhich it is rotated to unlock the hook. As the thumb 27 moves backward'ly, the locking ipin`19gsli-des over the `curved surface 29.

yThis curved surface is so formed that as the AAlooking pin 19 slides over the curved`surv face towards the shoulder28, the guard member 22 will be urged downwardly so as tocompress thefcoil spring 24. ,As the locking pin 19 reachesl the end 'of the lcurved :surface 29, the coil spring 24 lifts thejguard member 22 so as to automatically cause a locking engagement to `be again established between the lockingpin 19 and the shoulder ,Y

28, which prevents rotationA of the Iguard member 22. lWhen the guardmember 22 has yagain been l-ocked,it is only ypossible to unlock the hook. and'remove the bail Vby pulling downwardly upon the cable 31..

From the above it is seen that an improved safety hook is provided, consisting essentially of la .hook-shaped body, :in whiehis formeda recess, and that `a guard member' .is disposed within the recess, through which .extends a pivot pin. The guard member is 5 capable of rotation upon the pivot pin and may slide .relatively thereto so as to disen- 'gpo'e a locking means, which locking means its formed upon the shankof the eye 16, and

a exi'ble'element'is provided', which, .upon

being pulled, will disengage the guard member from the locking means, :permitting it -to rotate and .thus open the entrance to the hook. Furthermore, itis impossible by move-ment 'of lthe lbail within the hook to Aopen the guard member `22.

' Although 'we :have shown a iexible element l31-for operating or unlockingthe guard member, it -is contemplated within the `scope of rthis invention to employ other means,and

the guard member is capable of being disengaged by pulling downwardly upon the finger 29 by hand, so as to disengage the lock- .ing pin-19 .from the shoulder 28 and permit the guard'ineniber to be rotated to open the hook.

It will be understood that various changes in Ythe detail of construction may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention as delined by the appended claims. Y.

le claim: Y i 1. A safety hook comprising a hookshaped body, a recess formed insaid body, a

pin extending across Isaid recess, a member disposed within said recess having a slot formed therein, through which said pin extends, a spring Vdisposed within said slot for urging said member to assume a predeter-i mined position with respect Ato said-pin, a shoulder provided upon said member, a lockpin engageable upon said shoulder for locking said member against rotation upon said pin, and a finger formed upon said??y member adapted to extend across the entrance `to said hook, these parts being so arranged as to permit sliding movement of said memberupon 'said .pin so as to disengage said locking pin from said shoulder,"V

permitting rotationv of said member soas to swing said finger :away from the entrance vto said hook.

2. A safety hook comprising a hooka pin extending across said recess, a lmember disposed Within said recess having a slot formed thereimthrough which said .pin extends, a spring disposed within saidslot for k'shaped body, a recess formed in said body,

urging said member to kassume afpredeter-l mined position'with respect to said pin, a shoulder provided y uponr said' member,Y a locking pin engageable :upon said shoulder vvfor locking said member against rotation upon'said pin, a linger formed upon saidl member adapted to extend across the entrance to saidhook,7a'thumb formed upon said vmember' adaptedto assume a position across the entrance to said hook vwhen `said lfinger is moved thereirom, and a flexible element secured to said member which, when pulled, is adapted to cause sliding ymovement ot said member upon said pin so as to disengage said locking pin from said shoulder, permitting rotation of said member amd thus swingr said inger away trom-the entra-nce to the hook and cause said thumb to take its place. f i

3. A safety. hook comprising a hookshaped body, a recess formed inl said body, a pin lextending across 'said recess, a member disposed Within said lrece'ss having a slot formed therein, through whichv said pin extends, a spring'disposed within said slot for urgingVV said member to assume" apredeter mined position with respect to said pin, a

for locking said member against rotation upon said pin, a finger formed upon said member adapted to extend across the en-4 trance to said hook, and a leXible element secured to 'said member adapted to produce sliding movement of said finger on said pin, so as to disengage said locking pin from said shoulder, permitting rotation of' said member so as to swing 'said linger. away from the entrance to said hook.

et. A safety hook comprising a hookshaped body, a pin on said body, a member having a slot therethrough through which the pin extends, a spring disposed in 'said slot urging said member to assume a. pre* determined position with respect to said pin, means providing` a shoulder on said member, and locking means on said body engageable on said shoulder for locking said member in its predetermined position, said member having a finger extending across the entrance to said hook when in said predetermined position, said member said finger to be swung outwardly 'from the entrance to said hook.

5. A safety hook comprising a hookshaped body,a pin on said body, a member having va slot therethrough through Which the pin extends, a spring disposed in said slot urging said member to assume a predetermined position With` respect to said pin, means providingv a shoulder on said member, and locking means on said body engageable on said shoulder Jfor locking said member in its predetermined position, said member having a finger extending across the entrance to said hook when in said predetermined position, said member being so arranged that it may be caused to slide upon said pin aga-inst the action of said spring so as to disengage said shoulder from' said klocking means, and thus permit saidtinger to be 'swung outwardly from the entrance to said hook, there being a thumb formed on 'said body which is adapted to occupy the position across the entrance to said hook when said finger is removed therefrom.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification.

DAVID C. KUFFEL. `WADE `H. NILLIAMS. Y 

